Published: Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 11:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 11:26 p.m.

Zoe Kloth remembers as a child, her grandmother selling homegrown flowers at the farmer's market.

Facts

About this series

This is the second in a series of stories profiling young farmers in Spartanburg County.

Kloth's interest in plants and farming grew from there. She was fascinated by the 4-H exhibits at the county fair, and she joined Future Farmers of America in high school.

On a recent Friday, the 20-year-old Wofford College junior plucked ripe, plump blueberries from bushes in the yard of Bobby Dunn, known for his Papa's Produce at the Hub City Farmer's Market. It's hard to resist eating every berry picked, as they burst with a pop of flavor in the mouth.

The spring wasn't good for blueberries this year because of warm spells followed by cold snaps, Dunn said.

“I would normally just be raking berries off the bushes,” the 63-year-old farmer said. “I'm lucky the weather didn't kill all of them.”

The harvesting ends that hot June day with about 3 gallons of berries, farm fresh and more flavorful than those from the grocery store.

As Kloth and Dunn worked, bees hummed nearby, flying to and from Dunn's 10 hives with a purpose. A closer look revealed the orange balls of pollen attached to their back legs.

“I love those bees,” Kloth said. “It's cool looking at the hives and seeing how uniform each cell is.”

Dunn has been trying to talk her into beekeeping at her own garden at home in Pickens County, but she's afraid the resident bears will plunder the honey.

Dunn has found himself a mentor to younger farmers such as Kloth and Jimmie Tate. Tate also has worked in Dunn's garden and is now Hub City Farmer's Market urban farm manager.

“I always like to see young people have an interest in it,” Dunn said. “It's a lot of hard work, and I don't think people want to do it anymore. I don't see it as competition; there's plenty of room for more farmers. We don't have enough today.”

Dunn admits he hated when his father dragged him to the garden to work when he was a child.

“But here I am,” he says, with a smile. Kloth helps Dunn in harvesting squash, zucchini, a variety of peppers, kale, lettuce, cabbage and onions. He'll plant collards, kale and butternut squash for the fall. The morning they picked blueberries, Kloth and Dunn also washed squash and zucchini in large tubs to get ready for market day.

“I don't know what I'd do without Zoe here,” said Dunn, who works the garden in the mornings and then goes to a second-shift job at a printing company. “Friday's one of my biggest days because we pick for Saturday (market). She's here picking. She runs the tiller. I can give her a list, and she gets it done.”

Kloth began gardening in earnest when she was 13. Her garden has grown every year. It's now about a quarter of an acre, with eggplant, green beans, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, basil, blueberries and 115 tomato plants. She also has fruit trees and wild blackberries.

She's majoring in environmental studies at Wofford, where she is in ROTC and will enter into an 8-year contract with the Army Corps of Engineers after graduation.

“The end goal is to have my own farm,” she said.

In early June, she attended Annie's Project in Columbia, where she and other women learned about the business side of farming and ranching, including financial planning and risk management. Jennifer Boyles, coordinator of Annie's Project in South Carolina and director of the S.C. Women's Agriculture Network, said Kloth was the youngest attendee and roomed with the oldest, a 78-year-old cattle farmer.

“You learned a lot from the speakers and the other ladies,” Kloth said. The female farmers in attendance grew a variety of produce, even rice, and raised livestock, including emus, turkeys and alpacas.

Kloth believes more young people are going into farming. She thinks people have become more interested in growing their own food because of the recent recession.

There also seems to be more resources for farmers, and more places to sell their wares, she said.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other organizations have taken it upon themselves to create resources for people just getting started,” Kloth said. “I've also noticed farmer's markets popping up in all the little towns. A few local businesses are buying from local growers, and there's the mobile (farmer's market). There are more outlets being created.”

Kloth made an impression on Boyles during the Annie's Project retreat.

“She's remarkable because of her age, to have this interest — I found her exceptional,” Boyles said.

Women are up and coming in farming, both in South Carolina and the country, Boyles said. Many of the women Boyles has met through the S.C. Women's Agricultural Network had a “first” career as teachers or attorneys, and now are going into farming.

“This is going to be a whole different phase of their lives,” she said.

Farming is undergoing a paradigm shift right now, as traditional farms, those with huge tracts of row crops of cotton, wheat or soybeans, make way for smaller farmers. Women in South Carolina, from artisan cheese makers, produce growers, free range beef ranchers and chicken farmers, are part of the movement, Boyles said.

“I think a lot of young people now see it as a viable career option,” Boyles said. “Traditional farming is on the decline, and it's important for students like Zoe to continue the lineage. They are looking at sustainable options or smaller opportunities, and feel they have a responsibility to the earth.”

For more about Annie's Project or the S.C. Women's Agriculture Network, visit www.clemson.edu/scwagn.

<p>Zoe Kloth remembers as a child, her grandmother selling homegrown flowers at the farmer's market.</p><p>Kloth's interest in plants and farming grew from there. She was fascinated by the 4-H exhibits at the county fair, and she joined Future Farmers of America in high school.</p><p>On a recent Friday, the 20-year-old Wofford College junior plucked ripe, plump blueberries from bushes in the yard of Bobby Dunn, known for his Papa's Produce at the Hub City Farmer's Market. It's hard to resist eating every berry picked, as they burst with a pop of flavor in the mouth.</p><p>The spring wasn't good for blueberries this year because of warm spells followed by cold snaps, Dunn said.</p><p>“I would normally just be raking berries off the bushes,” the 63-year-old farmer said. “I'm lucky the weather didn't kill all of them.”</p><p>The harvesting ends that hot June day with about 3 gallons of berries, farm fresh and more flavorful than those from the grocery store.</p><p>As Kloth and Dunn worked, bees hummed nearby, flying to and from Dunn's 10 hives with a purpose. A closer look revealed the orange balls of pollen attached to their back legs.</p><p>“I love those bees,” Kloth said. “It's cool looking at the hives and seeing how uniform each cell is.”</p><p>Dunn has been trying to talk her into beekeeping at her own garden at home in Pickens County, but she's afraid the resident bears will plunder the honey.</p><p>Dunn has found himself a mentor to younger farmers such as Kloth and Jimmie Tate. Tate also has worked in Dunn's garden and is now Hub City Farmer's Market urban farm manager.</p><p>“I always like to see young people have an interest in it,” Dunn said. “It's a lot of hard work, and I don't think people want to do it anymore. I don't see it as competition; there's plenty of room for more farmers. We don't have enough today.”</p><p>Dunn admits he hated when his father dragged him to the garden to work when he was a child.</p><p>“But here I am,” he says, with a smile. Kloth helps Dunn in harvesting squash, zucchini, a variety of peppers, kale, lettuce, cabbage and onions. He'll plant collards, kale and butternut squash for the fall. The morning they picked blueberries, Kloth and Dunn also washed squash and zucchini in large tubs to get ready for market day.</p><p>“I don't know what I'd do without Zoe here,” said Dunn, who works the garden in the mornings and then goes to a second-shift job at a printing company. “Friday's one of my biggest days because we pick for Saturday (market). She's here picking. She runs the tiller. I can give her a list, and she gets it done.”</p><p>Kloth began gardening in earnest when she was 13. Her garden has grown every year. It's now about a quarter of an acre, with eggplant, green beans, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, basil, blueberries and 115 tomato plants. She also has fruit trees and wild blackberries.</p><p>She's majoring in environmental studies at Wofford, where she is in ROTC and will enter into an 8-year contract with the Army Corps of Engineers after graduation.</p><p>“The end goal is to have my own farm,” she said.</p><p>In early June, she attended Annie's Project in Columbia, where she and other women learned about the business side of farming and ranching, including financial planning and risk management. Jennifer Boyles, coordinator of Annie's Project in South Carolina and director of the S.C. Women's Agriculture Network, said Kloth was the youngest attendee and roomed with the oldest, a 78-year-old cattle farmer.</p><p>“You learned a lot from the speakers and the other ladies,” Kloth said. The female farmers in attendance grew a variety of produce, even rice, and raised livestock, including emus, turkeys and alpacas.</p><p>Kloth believes more young people are going into farming. She thinks people have become more interested in growing their own food because of the recent recession.</p><p>There also seems to be more resources for farmers, and more places to sell their wares, she said.</p><p>“The U.S. Department of Agriculture and other organizations have taken it upon themselves to create resources for people just getting started,” Kloth said. “I've also noticed farmer's markets popping up in all the little towns. A few local businesses are buying from local growers, and there's the mobile (farmer's market). There are more outlets being created.”</p><p>Kloth made an impression on Boyles during the Annie's Project retreat.</p><p>“She's remarkable because of her age, to have this interest — I found her exceptional,” Boyles said.</p><p>Women are up and coming in farming, both in South Carolina and the country, Boyles said. Many of the women Boyles has met through the S.C. Women's Agricultural Network had a “first” career as teachers or attorneys, and now are going into farming.</p><p>“This is going to be a whole different phase of their lives,” she said.</p><p>Farming is undergoing a paradigm shift right now, as traditional farms, those with huge tracts of row crops of cotton, wheat or soybeans, make way for smaller farmers. Women in South Carolina, from artisan cheese makers, produce growers, free range beef ranchers and chicken farmers, are part of the movement, Boyles said.</p><p>“I think a lot of young people now see it as a viable career option,” Boyles said. “Traditional farming is on the decline, and it's important for students like Zoe to continue the lineage. They are looking at sustainable options or smaller opportunities, and feel they have a responsibility to the earth.”</p><p>For more about Annie's Project or the S.C. Women's Agriculture Network, visit www.clemson.edu/scwagn.</p>